"Tell me how to live so many lives at once ..."
Fowzi, who beats everyone at dominoes; Ibtisam, who wanted to be a doctor; Abu Mahmoud, who kn... read full description
reviews
Jan 25, 2012
19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye is her collection of poems about the Middle East. She is an American born poet, the daughter of a Father from pre-World War II Jerusalem and an American mother. This book contains about sixty poems, each dealing with the Middle East in some fashion. Almost every poem is written in free verse. The topics range from terrorism to the natural beauty of the Middle East. Many of the poems have a thread of the current military conflicts working through t
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Feb 11, 2009
Carrie
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I eat up Nye's poetry like a package of Oreos, completely enjoyable and addictive. Even though I have no personal connection with the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, her poems invited me in and made me feel like a humble visitor to this ancient culture. Peace in the Middle East is a noble thing to wish for and I'm sure her work is not completely in vain, but the unrest in that area is deeper than just two groups of people striving to share the same land. The Biblical signific
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Dec 17, 2011
Christina (Reading Thru The Night)
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"We need poetry for nourishment and for noticing, for the way language and imagery reach comfortably into experience, holding and connecting it more successfully than any news channel we could name." (xvi)
19 Varieties of Gazella is a book of poetry written about the middle east: the struggles, the food, the beliefs, but mostly the people. I think that this is more "my kinda" poetry book. Each poem is vivid, but not embedded in so many poetic devices that my mind More...
19 Varieties of Gazella is a book of poetry written about the middle east: the struggles, the food, the beliefs, but mostly the people. I think that this is more "my kinda" poetry book. Each poem is vivid, but not embedded in so many poetic devices that my mind More...
Jul 05, 2010
Erin
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I'll say it again, I'm not a big fan of poetry, but the introduction alone was enough to propel me through half the book. Nye talks about the terrorist attacks on September 11th and the importance of realizing that many, if not most, Middle Eastern people were not behind them. She discusses how she turns to poetry, and while I don't have a lot of patience for it, the images she creates with her verses are quite lovely.
Part of my trouble with poetry is that I am so used to traditional rea More...
Part of my trouble with poetry is that I am so used to traditional rea More...
Mar 16, 2011
L11_AGastolek
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The 60 poems written by Naomi Shihab Nye and published under a very peculiar title “19 Varieties of Gazelle” represent voices of people living in the Middle East. In her writing, the author describes neighbors, family members, friends and strangers and portrays their fears, anxieties and hopes. Through the eyes of a father burying his 4 month daughter and “silent Jewish and Arab women standing together”, the reader can see the nonsense of killing and living under constant mutual oppression. The
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Jul 31, 2010
Lindsey
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MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD WINNER (2003)
Format: Poetry
Age level: High school
Protagonist: NA
Review:
This is a collection of poems, all written by Naomi Shihab Nye. All of the poems are written in free verse and reflect her life living in the middle east.
Unfortunately, I did not particularly enjoy this book. I was hoping to gain a greater understanding as to what life was like for the author, but that didn't happen. I think one of the problems is More...
Format: Poetry
Age level: High school
Protagonist: NA
Review:
This is a collection of poems, all written by Naomi Shihab Nye. All of the poems are written in free verse and reflect her life living in the middle east.
Unfortunately, I did not particularly enjoy this book. I was hoping to gain a greater understanding as to what life was like for the author, but that didn't happen. I think one of the problems is More...
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Feb 20, 2011
Leane
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I was initially really excited to read this book of poems about life in the Middle-East. I got through about half of it, and finally gave up. And I never give up on books. EVER. I just didn't get any of it. I have a love/hate relationship with poetry, but I have developed a pretty strong respect for it over the years, especially the type of poetry that makes me think. But this poetry was just incomprehensible. I was trying to pick out some themes from the book that I could share in this r
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Sep 13, 2010
Michelle
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I don't normally sit down to read a book of poetry, but this one was well worth it. It is a collection of poems by a Muslim woman whose family left Iran in 1978 during the revolution and came to the States. Her poetry is beautiful and adequately describes the sorrow Muslims in the US feel about the conflict that continues in the Middle East between Muslims and Jews. Also, the pain Muslims here feel about 9/11 and the intense desire to not be associated with violent radicals.
I wa More...
I wa More...
Sep 21, 2011
Sara
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I have to preface this review with the fact I'm not a poetry person. I read this to scope it out in order to use in my classroom when my English students are studying the Middle East in Social Studies I figured I could tie in with a poetry unit between novels. With that in mind, many of the poems in this book will work, as an entirety though, I cannot imagine 12 year olds reading it cover to cover. Many of them were beautiful glimpses into Arab culture, and others were just as memorable in their
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Jul 27, 2010
S10_tommccormack
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Ages: 13 and up
"19 Varieties of Gazelle" is a book of free verse poems by Naomi Shihab Nye. The first poem was written on September 11, 2001, so, in a way, the book is a response to the anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment that saturated the media in the aftermath of September 11th.
More generally, the poems attempt to capture the Arab-American perspective on life in the United States (Texas, specifically). The poems tend to be very personal.
The poems co More...
"19 Varieties of Gazelle" is a book of free verse poems by Naomi Shihab Nye. The first poem was written on September 11, 2001, so, in a way, the book is a response to the anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment that saturated the media in the aftermath of September 11th.
More generally, the poems attempt to capture the Arab-American perspective on life in the United States (Texas, specifically). The poems tend to be very personal.
The poems co More...
Dec 08, 2011
Liz
rated it: 
AWARD AND HONORS: ALA Notable Children’s Book, Parents' Choice Silver Honor, School Library Journal Best Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, National Book Award Finalist, Horn Book Fanfare
In response to the attacks on 9/11 Naomi compiled these poems from the Middle East to help us see the connectedness we have with others. I found myself reading and rereading many of the poems in this collection over and over again. I am drawn most to her poems that use everyday objects as metaphor More...
In response to the attacks on 9/11 Naomi compiled these poems from the Middle East to help us see the connectedness we have with others. I found myself reading and rereading many of the poems in this collection over and over again. I am drawn most to her poems that use everyday objects as metaphor More...
Oct 25, 2009
Jill
rated it:
A finalist for the National Book Award, so reading I assigned myself.
From "Arabic Coffee"
"... When
he carried the tray into the room,
high and balanced in his hands,
it was an offering to all of them,
stay, be seated, follow the talk
wherever it goes. The coffee was
the center of the flower.
Like clothes on a line saying
You will live long enough to wear me,
a motion of faith. There is this,
and there is more.
More...
From "Arabic Coffee"
"... When
he carried the tray into the room,
high and balanced in his hands,
it was an offering to all of them,
stay, be seated, follow the talk
wherever it goes. The coffee was
the center of the flower.
Like clothes on a line saying
You will live long enough to wear me,
a motion of faith. There is this,
and there is more.
More...
Mar 20, 2010
Katina
rated it:
19 Varieties of Gazelle is written by Naimi Shibab Nye has collected poems from the Middle East. The poems dated back to September 11, 2001. Middle Easterns write their reactions to the towers falling, where they were and and how Middles Easterns were treated during the aftermath. I had very little knowledge about the Arab culture until 9/11. The author tells stories of her grandmother, others and her her own describing life as an Arab. I learned a lot about the Arab culture reading these beaut
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Feb 01, 2012
Roger
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Categorized as a juvenile nonfiction title, Nye’s poetry collection brings together an abundance of pieces that give voice to the peoples of the Middle East—the forgotten citizens who have no allegiance with the terrorism that has maligned so much of that part of the world. In her introduction to the poems, Nye says, “A huge shadow had been cast across the lives of so many innocent people and an ancient culture’s pride.” The poems attempt to rectify this injustice by reflecting the lives of the
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Jul 11, 2011
Tiffany
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This is a book of poems written by Naomi Shihab Nye. She is an Arab-American writer.
Her poetry is moving and eloquent. She captures images like a camera stopping time. She also has a unique perspective on the world that I haven't read before.
The poems about her experiences in America after September 11, 2001 were powerful and uplifting, even as they broke your heart with the prejudice.
I love poetry, but Naomi's poems were especially sensitive and emotional. They can be read on se More...
Her poetry is moving and eloquent. She captures images like a camera stopping time. She also has a unique perspective on the world that I haven't read before.
The poems about her experiences in America after September 11, 2001 were powerful and uplifting, even as they broke your heart with the prejudice.
I love poetry, but Naomi's poems were especially sensitive and emotional. They can be read on se More...
Nov 10, 2010
Chuck
rated it:
79 out of 100 for 2010
Got a chance to meet Nye this past weekend; she seems like the kind of person who you would would have been your best friend forever--warm, thoughtful, welcoming, understanding.
These poems, collected after September 2011, explore not so much the conflict of the West with Islam but explore Arabic people--the baker, the butcher, the friend, the grant mother. In one poem, she wrote "I'm not interested in who suffered the most. I'm interested in how p More...
Got a chance to meet Nye this past weekend; she seems like the kind of person who you would would have been your best friend forever--warm, thoughtful, welcoming, understanding.
These poems, collected after September 2011, explore not so much the conflict of the West with Islam but explore Arabic people--the baker, the butcher, the friend, the grant mother. In one poem, she wrote "I'm not interested in who suffered the most. I'm interested in how p More...
Sep 25, 2010
Deanna
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This is an interesting compilation of poems from a middle eastern author. I liked reading it. I can't imagine any of my kids would like to sit down and read it cover to cover. It is useful when I use it for my poetry piece for the week. She has a beautiful way with words like: "So you come with these maps in your head and I come with voices of chiding me to 'speak for my people' and we march around like guardians of memory till we find the man on the short stool who makes brooms."
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Aug 07, 2011
Amanda
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This small book of poetry is subtitled “Poems of the Middle East.” I first got interested in reading some of Nye’s poetry when I saw her at a poetry reading last year. I finally got this book around Christmas.
Once again, I must say I am just not a poetry person. I keep trying, all different sorts from all different time periods, and I don’t know. I just can’t read the stuff. I tried reading this one poem a day, then several a day, and when neither of those really worked, a whole bunch More...
Once again, I must say I am just not a poetry person. I keep trying, all different sorts from all different time periods, and I don’t know. I just can’t read the stuff. I tried reading this one poem a day, then several a day, and when neither of those really worked, a whole bunch More...
Jan 11, 2012
Melissa
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Naomi Shihab Nye, being an Arab-American, put together this collection of her poems about the Middle East in response to 9/11 - perhaps in a way to give us a snapshot of Arab life, to see that they are just human with regular lives, to see that we could not blame an entire race for the actions of so few. The poems contained were poignant and touching, and while a wall might divide my life from those described here, I felt I could relate.
Nov 12, 2011
Dayna
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A wonderful collection of poems about the Middle East. Nye, who is Arab American, writes about the problems of this area of the world from a relatively unbiased perspective. She is in complete sympathy with neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis. She focuses on the people caught in the middle of the battle. A moving collection of very well done poetry.
Mar 10, 2011
Kim
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A collection of Nye's poems relating to the Middle East. She has a gift for painting a scene with few words, and many of her poems left me deeply touched. However, equally as many left me feeling a bit adrift. Nye's poems tend to revolve heavily around her family; at times I felt I needed more information about her upbringing to really cement my feelings on her writing.
Mar 21, 2010
Ch_jank-caporale
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Naomi Shihab Nye's father is from Palestine. In 19 varieties of Gazelle, she writes of the life she knows both as an adult and as a child who visits the homeland of her father and her grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins. She writes about the pain they feel being exiled from it, and what they experience living under conditions of Israeli occupation. She writes of the wishes and prayers for peace, and of the immigrant's gaze towards home. And she writes beautifully, touchingly, satisfyingly. This
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May 28, 2010
Al_ErinDickey
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I enjoyed these poems. I love to learn more about Middle Eastern culture and I felt like this was such a nice way to do it. We got a little piece here and there, which gave us a nice overarching look at the culture. I enjoyed her introduction and why she wrote the poems. I would really like to incorporate a few of these poems in to my curriculum.
Feb 28, 2009
Sam
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I read the poem Different Ways to Pray. This is a different type of poetry, it is a narrative with no real rhyme scheme, but it is beautiful. As you read it you can easily tell that there is beauty in this culture. Absolutely great way to introduce cultures into the classroom.
May 07, 2009
Carla
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I love this book. The poems are of everyday people doing everyday things-yet she portrays and saves a way of life for her family, friends and a people in a culture so different from my own-- and yet the poems call to mind images of my own childhood and our farm and my grandmother and grandfather. I wish I could write poems like this so that I could evoke images in your mind of what my childhood and growing up were like.
Sep 07, 2010
Chris
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Some of the best poetry I've read, especially the first half of the book. Nye writes poetry that is both accessible and deep. My very favorite line in the book comes from "Arabic Coffee" (p 38):
Like clothes on a line saying
You will live long enough to wear me,
a motion of faith. There is this,
and there is more.
Dec 22, 2010
Courtney
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I admire Naomi Shihab Nye's dedication to present a reality that many American children/young adults cannot even begin fathom. Unfortch, this collection of poems just didn't strike a chord with me. This book did make me really hungry for figs though...
Sep 22, 2010
Wendy
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I love small (as in, physical size) books like this one. I keep one in every purse and bag and backpack, just so I'm never caught in a long line or a stalled bus with no words to feed me. This small book is one of my favorites. I read it again and again.
Sep 18, 2010
Heather
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I have a REALLY hard time reading poetry. Is it one of those things (like art, music, foreign language) where it's easier to do/like/appreciate if you start getting into when you're young? Did I just miss the boat?
(You know I love you, Dayna!!)
(You know I love you, Dayna!!)
Jan 26, 2008
Michelle
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Besides being a book of poetry about conflict & human experience of war; this book is about everyday life in families. I like it in particular because several of the poems remind me to slow down and live in the moment of those everyday life events. I also like it because the everyday life events described are from a culture not mine & i get to peek in on the scenery, food, & details of what goes on.
Here's a short one:
A Single Slice Reveals Them
An Apple on the ta More...
Here's a short one:
A Single Slice Reveals Them
An Apple on the ta More...
